Irwell Management Catchment Natural Capital Account & Ecosystem Services Opportunity Mapping Created by: GMCA Date published: April 2018 About Natural Course 78% of water bodies in North West England are failing to meet a good ecological status* and solutions are often found to be too expensive to implement. Natural Course is a collaboration of organisations in North West England from public, private and third sector who, together, will seek cost-effective solutions to improving water quality across urban and rural landscapes, sharing best practice across the UK and Europe. *Environment Agency, North West River Basin District 2015 Natural Course will: • Test and inform best practice in achieving UK and EU legislation in water quality • Use the North West River Basin District as a flagship project and share best practice with the UK and Europe • Make better use of resources, share ownership of complex issues and maximise outcomes through a collaborative approach of organisations from public, private and third sector. Join the conversation #NaturalCourse IRWELL MANAGEMENT CATCHMENT NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNT AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OPPORTUNITIES MAPPING TEP Genesis Centre Birchwood Science Park Warrington WA3 7BH Tel: 01925 844004 Email: [email protected] www.tep.uk.com Offices in Warrington, Market Harborough, Gateshead, London and Cornwall PLANNING I DESIGN I ENVIRONMENT CONTENTS PAGE 1.0 Overview ................................................................................................................... 4 2.0 Purpose of this Report ............................................................................................ 12 3.0 Approach ................................................................................................................. 13 4.0 Study Area Overview .............................................................................................. 29 5.0 Natural Capital Account .......................................................................................... 31 6.0 Water Quality .......................................................................................................... 33 7.0 Water Resources .................................................................................................... 42 8.0 Flood Risk Mitigation ............................................................................................... 46 9.0 Carbon Sequestration ............................................................................................. 52 10.0 Leisure and Recreation (including Health) .............................................................. 58 11.0 Amenity…………………………………………………………………………………….69 12.0 Biodiversity and Ecological Networks ..................................................................... 76 13.0 Air Quality ............................................................................................................... 81 14.0 Noise Reduction and Temperature Regulation ....................................................... 85 15.0 Agriculture (Food Production) and Timber Production ............................................ 88 16.0 Next Steps .............................................................................................................. 90 TABLES PAGE Table 1: ESS in Scope .......................................................................................................... 17 Table 2: Measures to Deliver Ecosystem Service Uplift ....................................................... 24 Table 3: Breakdown of Habitat Types in the Study Area ...................................................... 29 Table 4: Natural Capital Account for the IMC ....................................................................... 31 Table 5: Total Value of ESS within the Study Area ............................................................... 33 Table 6: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Water Quality ............................. 36 Table 7: Breakdown of Value of Water Resources ............................................................... 42 Table 8: Breakdown of Flood Damages in Study Area ......................................................... 46 Table 9: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Flood Risk Mitigation .................. 48 Table 10: Breakdown of the Value of Carbon Sequestration within the Study Area ............. 52 Table 11: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Carbon Sequestration .............. 55 Table 12: Breakdown of the Value of Leisure and Recreation within the Study Area ........... 58 Table 13: Breakdown of the Cost Savings for Physical Health within the Study Area .......... 60 Table 14: Breakdown of the Cost Savings for Mental Health within the Study Area ............ 62 Table 15: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Leisure and Recreation ............ 66 Table 16: Breakdown of the Value of Amenity within the Study Area ................................... 69 6635.040 March 2018 1.0 Table 17: Tree Canopy Cover ............................................................................................... 72 Table 18: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Amenity .................................... 72 Table 19: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Ecological Networks ................. 78 Table 20: Ecosystem Service Opportunity Assessment for Air Quality ................................ 82 Table 21: Breakdown of the Value of Agriculture (Food Production) within the Study Area . 88 Table 22: Breakdown of the value of Timber Production within the Study Area ................... 88 Table 23: Natural Capital Value and Ecosystem Service Opportunity Matrix ....................... 94 FIGURES PAGE Figure 1: IMC Boundary, Showing the Waterbodies Studied .................................................. 5 Figure 2: Methodology .......................................................................................................... 14 Figure 3: Study Area, including River, Flood Zone and 100m Buffer .................................... 15 Figure 4: Example of Broad Habitat Mapping ....................................................................... 16 Figure 5: Total Value of Ecosystem Services by Waterbody Catchment .............................. 19 Figure 6: Opportunity Mapping and the Decision Making Process ....................................... 20 Figure 7: Process of ESS Opportunity Assessment ............................................................. 21 Figure 8: Heat Map of a Waterbody Corridor Showing a Single ESS Opportunity Assessment (Water Quality) ...................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 9: Composite Heat Map of a Waterbody Corridor for all ESS Opportunities Combined .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 10: Value of Water Quality within IMC ....................................................................... 34 Figure 11: Activities Contributing to Diffuse Pollution Sources (APEM, 2017)...................... 35 Figure 12: Consented Discharge with Conditions ................................................................. 38 Figure 13: Land with a High Concentration of Flowpaths ..................................................... 39 Figure 14: Water Quality ESS Opportunity Heat Map ........................................................... 40 Figure 15: Value of Water Abstraction within IMC ................................................................ 43 Figure 16: Value of Annualised Flood Risk in IMC ............................................................... 47 Figure 17: Flood Mitigation ESS Opportunity Heat Map ....................................................... 50 Figure 18: Carbon Sequestration Value within IMC .............................................................. 53 Figure 19: Carbon Sequestration ESS Opportunity Heat Map ............................................. 56 Figure 20: Leisure and Recreation Value within IMC ............................................................ 59 Figure 21: Value of Physical Health within IMC .................................................................... 61 Figure 22: Value of Mental Health within the IMC ................................................................. 63 Figure 23: Leisure and Recreation ESS Opportunity Heat Map ........................................... 67 Figure 24: Value of Amenity within the IMC .......................................................................... 70 Figure 25: Amenity ESS Opportunity Heat Map ................................................................... 74 Figure 26: Ecological Networks Opportunity Heat Map ........................................................ 79 6635.040 March 2018 1.0 Figure 27: Air Quality Opportunity Heat Map ........................................................................ 83 Figure 28: Clustered Greenspaces > 20ha ........................................................................... 84 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: MASTER DATASETS APPENDIX B: SUMMARY OF STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS APPENDIX C: HABITAT TYPES DEFINITIONS AND MAPPING PROTOCOLS APPENDIX D: ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATIONS AND NATURAL CAPITAL METHODOLOGY APPENDIX E: OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT – METHODS AND MAPPING PROTOCOLS APPENDIX F: MAPPING TOOL USER GUIDE APPENDIX G: NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTS BY WATERBODY AND DISTRICT APPENDIX H: ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OPPORTUNITY